Willis's Walkabouts Newsletter 131, December 2024 ― Merry Christmas
Time is the only currency you spend without knowing your balance. Use it wisely.
It's Christmas. This newsletter is designed for you have a quick look, then come back for more details about things that interest you at your leisure.
My Christmas present to some of you is a trip for $20 in the WW 2025 Wet Season section
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In this issue
WW 2025 Wet Season
Kudjewk, the Monsoon Season is one of my favourite times of year. If you're curious, click the link and see why.
We have been having an above average wet season so far. The Met Bureau predicts that there is a good chance of above average rain for the rest of the wet season. Sadly, no one was interested in the trips mentioned in the last newsletter. Here's what's still on offer.
- Russell's Wet Season Special: 17-23 February. List price:$20.
The $20 is not a misprint. there are, however, additional expenses. I'm so keen, I might do it for as few as one.
It will be possible to do only the last three days. This will allow Darwin people to do enjoy a bush weekend without taking a day off work - Bungles in the Wet: 16 February - 1 March. List price: $7995.
A major expedition. Helicopter in and out. Two weeks seeing a Bungles that dry season visitors can barely imagine.
Guide Cassie Newnes is so keen to do the trip that she will do it at a break even cost. Helicopters aren't cheap. The cost will depend on the number who take part. - Kakadu Highlights No. 2: 9-22 March. List price: $4995.
Two sections, either of which can be done on its own.
Special Offer. We will leave the 4-month, 20% advance purchase discount open until two weeks after this newsletter goes onto the website. - Drysdale Pack Rafting: 23 March - 12 April. List price: $8895.
Definite departure. Guide: Sébastien Heritier.
Your Health
Medical Advances
- RNA editing is the next frontier in gene therapy ― here's what you need to know
Wet age related macular degeneration is one of first targets -
Alabama Woman Receives Nation's Third Pig Kidney Transplant *
The patient, Towana Looney, was in better health than previous recipients, and her case could signal progress toward solving the organ-supply shortage. - A.I. Chatbots Defeated Doctors at Diagnosing Illness *
A small study found ChatGPT outdid human physicians when assessing medical case histories, even when those doctors were using a chatbot.
Bad News About Our Hospitals
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Private hospitals suspending 'unprofitable' surgeries as stoush with insurers deepens
I also found a paid article saying more and more people going overseas for surgery. - 'Burnt out, tired, frustrated: how hospital pressures harm doctors' mental health
One doctor said "the hospital processes are more stressful than clinical scenarios".
Food
- Food as You Know It Is About to Change *
Over the past decade, he says, what had long been reliable global patterns of year-on-year improvements in hunger first stalled and then reversed. Rates of undernourishment have grown 21 percent since 2017.
around the world, food scarcity is driving record levels of human displacement and migration About three-quarters of all global agricultural land is vulnerable to substantial climate disruptions -
How modern food can regain its nutrients
The nutritional values of some popular vegetables, from asparagus to spinach, have dropped significantly since 1950. A 2004 US study found important nutrients in some garden crops are up to 38% lower than there were at the middle of the 20th Century. On average, across the 43 vegetables analysed, calcium content declined 16%, iron by 15% and phosphorus by 9%. The vitamins riboflavin and ascorbic acid both dropped significantly, while there were slight declines in protein levels. Similar decreases have been observed in the nutrients present in wheat. What's happening?
Misc
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Women are less likely to receive CPR than men. Training on manikins with breasts could help
They don't have fat manikins either
There is evidence that how people act in resuscitation training scenarios mirrors what they do in real emergencies. This means it's vital to train people to recognise a cardiac arrest and be prepared to intervene, across genders and body types. - 'A dose of nature': each time you visit a national park, you save the health budget almost $100
Very hard to measure but the researchers seem to have done as good a job as is possible
Spending a bit more on parks would seem to decrease the total government spend as more would be saved elsewhere. - Can you spot a rip current?
Take this 5-minute quiz on Australia's number-one coastal hazard. It might save your life.
Comparing Australia & America
I recently came across some interesting statistics about Australia and America. Australia is the only country in the world which has a particular relationship with the USA. I am a personal example of that relationship. The only way you are going to find out what that is is by clicking the link, Australia is Different. The link covers a second comparison I found interesting as well.
Why?
Money
Cash
Do you really want someone, somewhere, to be able to see every cent you've spent. If everything goes onto a card, it's inevitable that that info will eventually get out.
- As Cash Fades, Small Retailers Embrace Efforts to Rein In Swipe Fees *
Business owners say card transaction fees are a growing monthly expense, one often passed to consumers. They're cheering efforts to lower them. - The government wants to keep cash alive for buying essentials. Here's why it's such a challenge for businesses
- Cash still king (or at least not dead) as experts welcome payment protections
Financial Stress
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The Hidden Costs of Capping Credit Card Interest Rates
A rate cap could leave millions scrambling for alternatives in an increasingly cashless economy.
"Credit card interest rates are high today, but they are arguably high as a direct result of legislation passed at the end of the 2000s. Capping credit card interest rates is simply an intervention to correct the results of previous interventions." - I Was Right About Everything
If you want to know how you will respond to financial stress, put yourself under some financial stress and find out.
The small things do not add up to big things. I would have to skip lunch out 10,000 times to make back when I am spending on the house. That's more lunch than I could possibly eat in a lifetime.
I was saving money like mad, without even really trying. The money was piled like snowdrifts in my bank account.
A Government Crime Against Us All
What the government seems to be doing is not technically a crime, but it should be. Someone who should be seen as a hero faces possible time in gaol for trying to protect us all.
Whistleblower Richard Boyle to face potential jail time amid call for urgent whistleblower protection reform
"His case underscores the major holes in Australia's whistleblowing regime. The Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus must ensure Richard Boyle does not go to jail for exposing wrongdoing at the tax office and urgently fix federal whistleblower protections. Whistleblowers make Australia a better place ― they should be protected, not prosecuted."
This may take a while to download. I think it's worth the wait.
With cases like this, I can't help but wonder if we are really all that much better than China.
Why WW? What makes us different?
Back in October, I received the email below from someone who had done our Mitchell Plateau walk this year. I've removed the guide's name as I think that, while they all have their individual strengths and weaknesses, overall, they are all equally good. I also removed a reference to a specific incident that occurred on that trip as it isn't relevant to our other walks.
- A friend who works as a (respected and competent) senior ranger in the NSW Parks system told me this walk was 'world class', truly memorable. He did it last year and was blown away. I've now done it and agree without reservation. There are many tour companies trying to 'monetise' nature and our romance with 'wilderness' (no such thing) in places like the Kimberley, Kakadu and across the Top End. You have kept it simple, and make people work hard for their rewards. It felt like your many decades of bushwalking and explorations underpinned this trip in a way I see no others doing. Congratulations.
- The guide was very good. He surprised me with his natural history knowledge of flora and fauna. We totally trusted his navigation and bush nous. I know I couldn't have done the trip without him. He took the worry out of planning and navigation, a delight when you walk in remote places. The Aboriginal art was a daily highlight, and clearly a keen interest of his. We all benefited from his knowledge and passion. He was also good at showing us good bush etiquette, from the sauce bottle for ablutions to the 'leave no trace' camp fires and camp sites. I am confident he also enjoyed our company, we were a small group of uncomplaining, like-minded souls. We all felt we shared something special, and are still staying in touch now, almost two months later.
- Food was hearty and plentiful. It was obvious the guide and yourself had gone to a lot of trouble over the years honing these menus. Surprisingly, the 'cup of soup' entrees were often the simplest and most appreciated.
- I would like to book one of your Kakadu escarpment trips next year. I only hope that the company continues to thrive, given what you have set up over many decades. I know from my discussions with a friend about your legendary bushwalking expertise and adventures. Thank you for sharing that knowledge with so many others! Perhaps you are thinking about 'what next'? I hope Willis's Walkabouts doesn't fold, or fall into the hands of a company like AAT/Kings. It would be the end of a unique experience. Thank you for creating it.
WW ― April and Beyond
Trips with bookings
- April Special Offer. We will leave the 4-month, 20% advance purchase discount open until two weeks after this newsletter goes onto the website.
- Karijini National Park: 6-19 April.
Two sections, either of which can be done on it's own.
Early this year, we had to change the route because it was too dry. The whole park was closed by flooding in December so that will definitely not happen to this one.
Guide: Cassie Newnes
- Bungle Bungles & Osmond Range: 6-26 April.
Two sections, either of which can be done on it's own.
Section two, the Bungles, has bookings. Section one, the Osmond Range, does not. We will run section two on its own if we don't get the numbers for section one.
If you think you might be interested in the Osmond section, please contact us as soon as possible. It will be cancelled if no one has expressed an interest by Monday, 6 January. - Kakadu Highlights No. 3: 6-19 April.
Two sections, either of which can be done on it's own.
Section one has bookings, section two does not. We will run section one on its own if we don't get the numbers for section two. - Kakadu Highlights No. 4: 11-24 May.
Two sections, either of which can be done on it's own. If no one cancels, this is a definite departure
Section one has bookings, section two does not. We will run section one on its own if we don't get the numbers for section two. - Kimberley Highlights No. 1: 11 May - 7 June.
Five sections, any of which can be done on it's own. - Limmen, Lorella & the Abner Range: 9 May - 5 June
Russell's 80th birthday special. I've been dreaming about the final part of this trip since I flew over part of it last June. I don't have a price yet, but it will be as low as I can reasonably make it. There will, however, be additional expenses. It will be possible to do only part of the trip. Click the link above to find out more.
I recently posted a short video about the last part of the trip it is part of a YouTube play list with six videos about parts of this trip. the third & fourth aren't relevant to this year's trip. The others are. - Karijini National Park: 1-14 June.
Two sections, either of which can be done on it's own.
Excellent rain in December should make this a good year for a visit. - Mitchell Plateau No. 2: 20 July - 3 August
Two sections, either of which can be done on it's own. - Kakadu Highlights No. 8: 7-20 September
Three sections, any of which can be done on it's own. - New Caledonia: 6-27 October
It will be possible to do only part of the trip. There is an optional add on at the end.
Guide: Sébastien Heritier.
As my 80th birthday approaches, people wonder if I am still fit enough to lead walks. I won't pretend that I can still do the hardest ones, but, while time has taken its toll but I can still do some things. Click the link to see a short video. I had no idea that it had been taken, let alone posted until two weeks after the event. I was surprised ― and a bit pleased.
International Possibilities
- Southern African Spring.
- Patagonia: December-January. Two of our new guides speak Spanish so they will lead the main trip which will include a number of multi-day walks. If enough others are interested, I might run a parallel trip doing day walks (maybe even one easy overnight) and shifting vehicles for the main group if they do a through walk.
I don't have details yet, but if you think you might be interested or even if you just want more info, please click the link here and send me an email
Coming Next Issue
I wanted to get this out before Christmas and didn't have time to go into detail on some things we should all be thinking about. One of the reasons, I didn't have time is more and more paperwork being necessary to stay in business. That's a whole other story for another time, perhaps sitting around a campfire out on a walk.
- Living a long and healthy life. Cancer is a group of diseases we are finally beginning to overcome. Aging is the same. I'll share some interesting research as well as some of the implications that don't get talked about very much.
To do justice to some rather long articles, I'll try and include some relevant bits to help you decide whether or not you want to read the whole thing. - Our sick society. You may disagree, but when I look at some of what's going on in the world today, I think 'sick' is an appropriate description.
Before you decide whether or not 'sick' is a good term, you really should browse through some of the articles I'll include. - WW ― What Next? Times are changing. When the changes happen little by little, sometimes you don't notice just how bad they are. I got curious and went back to our trip program for 2004, twenty years ago. We offered 47 different trips.
• We can offer only 15 of those in their original form.
• We can no longer do 13 of them at all.
• We've lost sections or had to otherwise modify another 14.
• There are another four where all or part of the trip remains in doubt.
While I expect WW to survive for some years yet, given the above, I'm not sure that it has a long term future.
If I don't manage to put something about this into the next newsletter, it will definitely make it into a later one.
Remote Area First Aid ― Should WW Offer A Course?
Every three years our guides need to renew their Remote or Wilderness First Aid qualifications. Proper Wilderness First Aid courses are not available in Darwin so most of the courses I've done have been Remote Area. Most of those have been done with St Johns. In 2021, I was lucky enough to do a course arranged by the Darwin Bushwalking Club which used a trainer who specialises in truly remote locations like pastoral properties far from anywhere else. That course was the best Remote Area course I'd done.
Earlier this year, I needed to renew the qualification and did another St Johns course. I felt that risk aversion had caused it to be watered down to the point where peoples' lives would be at risk as people who had done the course would not be prepared when faced with something real.
When we had to use a stretcher, we no longer had a real person on it but a CPR mannikin. I was told that this was because of the danger of it being dropped. A mannikin weighs a tiny fraction of what a real person does. We got no sense of how difficult it really is to transport someone on a stretcher.
On previous courses, the instructors used a variety of makeup to make pretend wounds look as realistic as possible. For whatever reason, there was little of this on my last course. Maybe they thought it would be too distressing. If so, what would it be like when a 'trained' responder comes across the real thing which can be a lot gorier than anything makeup can achieve?
I've sometimes thought we should offer a 3 day Remote Area First Aid course using the same instructor I had in 2021. It would be out bush, one day at a campground for the bits where we need to use things like CPR manikins, and two nights on an actual walk. That's a lot more realistic than anything less than a full 5 to 7-day Wilderness First Aid course. If we were to offer it, I'd run it on an expense only basis with most of the fee going to the instructor.
If you think there is any chance you might be interested in such a course, or even if you just want more info, please click the link here and send me an email
The Lighter Side
Humour
Sadly, the cartoon at right sums up a bit of what our world seems to be coming to.
Signs of the Times is a collection of humourous signs followed by some interesting thoughts.
Reminiscing
In late 1971, I spent some time working as a deckhand on a river boat on the Mackenzie River in Canada's Northwest Territories. That triggered a love of the area which led to WW running a number of Arctic trips, including three dogsled expeditions. The company I worked for had its home base in the town of Hay River and it's northern base in the town of Tuktoyaktuk. It appears that 'Tuk' will have to move.
An Arctic Hamlet is Sinking Into the Thawing Permafrost *
Canada is losing its permafrost to climate change. The Indigenous residents of Tuktoyaktuk know they'll have to move but don't agree on when.
On another topic from even earlier, a friend sent me a clip with excerpts from the most popular songs in the USA, each month 1957 to 1959. I remembered them all. Interestingly, I couldn't find the clip on the web so I've put it on the website that hosts my newsletters.
Arthur Frommer, 95, Dies; His Guidebooks Opened Travel to the Masses *
After publishing "Europe on 5 Dollars a Day" in 1957, he went on to build an empire of guidebooks, package tours, hotels and other services.
I remember the book, but it was called "Europe on 5 and 10 Dollars a Day" when I made my first trip.
Here's a link to a similar story from a European point of view.Arthur Frommer, acclaimed travel writer and author of 'Europe on 5 Dollars a Day' dies at 95.
News About This Newsletter
Restricted websites. The NY Times allows non-subscribers to look at ten free articles each month. I've got more links than that in this newsletter so I've marked them with a red asterisk (*) so that you can choose which are of most interest to you. Bloomberg allows three free articles. The Washington Post and The Economist both have limits but I'm not sure what the current limits are so I've marked their articles with a double red asterisk (**).
How to Get Past a Paywall to Read an Article for Free
Even if you regularly support journalism by paying, sometimes you need to get around it.
As always, I welcome a bit of feedback about some of the things in this newsletter and suggestions for the next one.
Sending the newsletter
I'm now using a paid version of MailChimp to send all of the newsletters. I'm not sure what I'll do if the list goes over 2500.
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, to you all!!
Russell Willis